Bon Night
by Digitick
Summary: With Aelita grieving over her father's death, Yumi comes up with a plan to help her cope with her sadness. Will it work? AxY *friendship*
1. Chapter 1

**Although this is a Yumi x Aelita story, it isn't a Yumi x Aelita in the sense of Yumi x Aelita, although it is only about the two of them, but not the two of them- (stops due to headache). Anyhow, enjoy!**

**Bon Night part 1**

Wednesday the 13th of August was a sunshine bright, if slightly chilly morning at Kadic High, and the air was filled with excitement and cheer as the students talked and planned about what they were going to do and where they were going to go on the long weekend that was coming up, and one or two groups of chattering friends even talked about what their plans were for Halloween that was just around the corner.  
In fact, everyone was walking around with a smile on their face.  
Well, almost everyone…

"Aelita still hasn't come out of her room?"  
"Nope" Odd said as he, Ulrich and Yumi sat underneath a tree in the small forest next to Kadic. "And Jeremie's about one crack away from having a nervous breakdown. The guy might be a genius when it comes to computers, but with girls he hasn't got a clue on what to do"  
"Unlike you Odd?" Ulrich smirked. "Remind me again how many steady girlfriends you've had?"  
"Ha ha" Odd said sarcasticly. "Oh, that's so funny, especially coming from you, Mr-I-still-haven't-had-one-singe-date-this-year!"  
"Hey, just remember Odd" Yumi cut in before Ulrich could respond.  
"She lost her dad when we destroyed Xana three days ago. First her mom, now her dad...I think it would be an understatement to say she's pretty upset right now"  
"Yeah, but still, Jim and Delmas aren't going to be fooled by the 'Sick stomach' line forever" Odd said as he idle scratched his stomach.  
"Sooner or later, she'll have to come out"  
For the next few minutes all three of them were silent as they sat and stared up at the sunlight filtering down through the thick leafy canopy above, and then Yumi smiled as an idea popped into her head...

The next day, during break, Yumi walked up the stairs of the girls dormitory and down a hallway of doors until she reached Aelita's room and knocked on the door.  
"Hey Aelita, it's me Yumi. Can I come in?"  
"Uh, just give me a minute" Aelita's muffled reply came through her dorm room's door, followed by a brief burst of commotion inside like someone quickly moving stuff about, and then with a click the door swung open to reveal Aelita's drawn pale face, her red rimmed eyes telling all of the tears she'd cried.  
"Hi Yumi-" she started to say, but the rest of her words were cut off as Yumi suddenly wrapped her arms around her and hugged her.  
For a few seconds Aelita just stood there in Yumi's embrace, and then with a sob her tears started to fall again as she hugged her friend back.  
"Guess I don't have to ask how you've been" Yumi mock joked as she let the pink haired girl cry against her shoulder.  
Aelita let off a small laugh and sniffed as a few last tears fall down her cheeks.  
"I'm so sorry Aelita" Yumi said as she gently rocked her friend in her arms.  
"No one should go through what you're going through, especially not twice"  
"Now, how about we go into your room before someone sees you the way you look?"  
"I probably look like a mess, don't I?" Aelita smiled as she stepped to one side to let Yumi in, and locked the door before moving to her bed and sitting down amongst a few remaining used tissues and tissue boxes.  
"Well, if you can keep that look for a month, then you won't have to worry about what to go as for Halloween" Yumi lightly teased as she sat down next to Aelita.  
"I don't think that'll be much of problem" Aelita said as her smile shrunk and disappeared.  
"That's the reason why I'm here, Aelita" Yumi said as she reached down and gave Aelita's hand a squeeze.  
"The guys and I are worried about you staying cooped-up in here for so long- Wait, let me finish!" Yumi said as she saw Aelita start to open her mouth.  
"I know you're going through a rough time, but I have something that just might help you deal with it a bit better then you're doing now" Yumi said as she flicked a well used tissue off the bed.  
"It's a festival that's going to be held this Saturday, which very few people know about. I'm not going to pressure you into it, but I'm also not going to tell you what it's about or why it will help you" Yumi said as she knew Aelita's natural curiosity wouldn't stop bothering her until she found out what Yumi was hiding from her.  
"Oh, and one more thing" Yumi said as she shrugged her bag off of her shoulder. "You'll have to wear this" she said she pulled out a plastic shopping bag and set it down on the bed, and then jumped up as her eyes caught the time on her watch.  
"Oops, break's over, and if I don't get moving I'll be late for class" she said as she made her way towards the door, and then paused and turned back to Aelita as she opened the door.  
"Promise me you'll at least consider going?"  
"I will" Aelita said as she watched Yumi leave, and as soon as the door clicked shut she reached over, pulled the bag over to her side, stuck her hand inside and pulled out a pair of wooden sandals along with a pair of long white socks, a sash, and finally a long. dark blue-  
"Bathrobe?" Aelita frowned as she stared, confused, at the long sleeved garment in her hands.

Later that evening...  
"Yumi! Dinner's almost ready!"  
"Be right down, Mom!" Yumi shouted as she stepped into her room, a few drops of water dripping from her still wet hair as she headed for her closet, one hand tightly clutching the towel wrapped around her fresh-out-off-the-bath body, and just as she reached out for her night clothes her phone started to ring and vibrate on her bedside table.  
"Hang on, hang on..." Yumi muttered as she quickly grabbed her pajamas and underwear, and threw them on the bed before she grabbed her phone and pressed it to her ear.  
"Hello? Oh, hey Aelita, what's up?"  
"Uhm, well, it's about that festival.. I just wanted to ask you something about it-"  
"Oh no" Yumi said, cutting off Aelita's question.  
"Like I said this afternoon, unless you agree to come with me to the festival, I won't tell you anything about it"  
"B-but I just-"  
"Sorry" Yumi said, a sly smile on her face, "Until I hear a 'Yes', my lips are sealed"  
Aelita's emotions wrestled with each other until, with a sigh she said:  
"Okay, fine, yes I'll go to the festival"  
"Great!" Yumi's voice said from the small speaker on Aelita's phone.  
"I promise you you won't regret it. Come to my house tomorrow after school, and bring your toothbrush, towel and hair brush, because you'll have to sleep over here since we'll be leaving bright and early Saturday morning. Oops! Sorry, almost forgot, what did you want to ask me about the festival?"  
"I just wanted to know... is the bathrobe really the only thing I can wear?"

**Continues Next!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And now, on with the story...  
**

**Bon Night part 2**

"What's so funny?" Aelita asked the next day as she sat on Yumi's bed and frowned at the dark haired girl clutching her shaking sides as she laughed.  
"S-sorry Aelita, but I've never heard anyone call a kimono a bathrobe before" Yumi said as she giggled.  
"A what?" Aelita asked, confused.  
"A kimono" Yumi said as she waved her hand at the two silk garments lying behind her on her bed. "Simply put, it's a type of clothing from Japan that you wear to occasions like parties, festivals or weddings. There are different types of Kimonos for each occasion ranging from semi-formal everyday wear to super formal"  
"In our case" Yumi said as she picked up one of the kimonos, the dark blue that was Aelita's, "We'll be wearing the kind called Yukata. At least, I hope you'll be able to wear it since this is my old kimono from way back. Come on, let's try them on..."

"And.. done" Yumi smiled as she finished tightening the bow of Aelita's sash.  
"Wow, you weren't joking when you said putting them on was a bit tricky" Aelita said as Yumi stood up from where she'd been kneeling behind Aelita.  
"Yeah, but it's worth it, see?" Yumi said as she pointed at her mirror, and Aelita to admit she was right. She stared at their reflections, herself in the blue kimono with soft white bubbles floating here and there on the garment, while Yumi's was purple with gold bamboo leaves that seem to glow slightly against the darker color.  
The two of them looked absolutely adorable. Aelita smiled at her cute self. "If only Jeremie could see me now" she thought, and then turned as Yumi called her name, only to find herself blinded by a quick flash of light.  
"Heh, sorry, couldn't resist" Yumi grinned as she lowered her camera. "Just wait until the guys see this"  
"You wouldn't – give me that!" Aelita said as she lunged at the camera, her face bright red, missed, and chased Yumi around the room while the dark haired girl teased her and held the camera high up into the air.  
And just when Aelita grabbed a pillow of Yumi's bed, there came a knock on the door.  
"Come in" Yumi said, and used the distraction to quickly stand on her tiptoes and hide her camera on the top of her closet.  
"Hey you two, do you know what time it is?" Mrs. Ishiyama said as she stepped into the room. "We have to leave early tomorrow, remember?"  
"Sorry Mom, we'll quite down"  
"Right..." Mrs. Ishiyama said as she gave her daughter a look that said 'Why don't I believe you' before closing the door behind her as she left the room.  
"Aw, do we have to go to sleep?" Aelita asked as Yumi moved up behind her and started to undo the bow of her sash.  
"Well, not yet" Yumi said as she helped Aelita out of her kimono and then started to remove her own. "I'll tell you about the festival a bit more, and then we'll have to try and sleep"  
"Now then" Yumi said as she folded up her kimono and put it in her travel bag alongside Aelita's. "The story of O-bon goes that a wise man called Mokuren had a vision of his dead mother suffering in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts for the selfish life she had led. He prayed to Buddha for help, and Buddha told him to make offerings to the Sangha on the fifteenth of the seventh month-"  
"Uh? But then why are we going to the festival tomorrow?" Aelita asked, confused.  
"I'm coming to that" Yumi huffed, a little annoyed at being cut off mid-story.  
"Now where was I- Oh yeah, so Mokuren did as Buddha told him, and saw his mother released. He also saw the reasons for her selfishness, from all the unselfish sacrifices she'd done to help him. He was so happy that she was free, he did a dance. And so, every year, either from the thirteenth to fifteenth of July or August depending on what calender we use, we celebrate O-bon"  
"Oh, so that's why it's happening this weekend?" Aelita asked. "Because of living here in the city?"  
"That's right" Yumi nodded. "Because of work and school, we've had to plan out when, where and how O-bon can be held, so that no one could be inconvenienced"  
"That's so cool. Can you teach me some more stuff from the festival?"  
"Uhm, we're actually suppose to be sleeping now..."  
"Please?" Aelita asked.  
Yumi sighed, and spent a few more minutes teaching Aelita stuff like Sieza sitting, which you do with your legs folded underneath your thighs and your back straight ("Ouch! How do you do it?!" Aelita groaned as her cramps while Yumi just sat and smiled), bowing, titles ("Okay, so then you'd be Yumi-kun, right?" Aelita asked. "Yep, if I was a boy" Yumi laughed) and some Japanese words like "Ko-ni-chee-waa" and "Go-men-oh-sigh" and "Ai-e-gut-o"  
"No, like a pirate Aelita. Arr. Arr-e-gut-o" Yumi said as she pronounced the word.  
"Now you try Aelita. Aelita?"  
"Mm.." Aelita muttered in her sleep, and turned over to her side.  
Yumi smiled down at the passed out pink haired girl sleeping on the futon, whispered good night, and was about to climb into her bed when Aelita suddenly shivered and started to cry.  
"Aelita?" Yumi asked as she knelt down on Aelita's futon, and started to reach out to her when Aelita mumbled sleepily: "Mommy...?"  
Yumi felt her own eyes starting to mist up with tears as she stared down at her friend.  
She wiped a tear away, and took Aelita's hand in her own while she softly stroked her hair and gently whispered "It's ok" over and over again until Aelita's tears had dried up and her shivering had stopped.  
Yumi waited by Aelita's side until she was sure the young girl was fast asleep before she climbed into her own bed where she lay staring at the moon shining in through her window. "Please let this work" she prayed softly as her eyes started to droop close, and then the room was quite, safe for the soft breathing of the two sleeping girls.

**Continued Soon!**

**A****ww, poor Aelita. Will Yumi's plan work in helping her get over her grief? Found out next time!**

**And, just for interest sake, the information in this story is true (more or less, since Yumi had to simplify it a bit for Aelita)**


End file.
